Record-breaking 468 skateboarders to compete at Street and Park World Championships in Sharjah for $500,000 prize pool
Press release: 27 January 2023
- Street 2022 World Championships from 29 Jan-5 Feb and Park 2022 World Championships from 5 Feb-12 Feb are qualifiers for 2024 Olympic Games in Paris
- Number of participants 30% up on past events – with prize pool to be evenly distributed between Street and Park disciplines in male and female categories
A record-breaking 468 of the world’s best skateboarders will battle it out at the Street 2022 and Park 2022 World Championships at Aljada Skate Park in Sharjah for an incredible prize pool of $500,000.
The competitions – qualifiers for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris – sees Sharjah hosting the Street 2022 World Championships from 29 January to 5 February, followed by the Park 2022 World Championships from 5 February to 12 February.
The number of participants is a 30% increase on all previous events of this nature, with the prize pool to be evenly distributed between Street and Park disciplines in male and female categories. Both female and male gold-medal winners at the Street 2022 and Park 2022 World Championships at Aljada Skate Park in Sharjah will collect a tasty $50,000 in prize money.
Keegan Palmer, the Aljada Skate Park Ambassador who won gold in the inaugural men’s park skateboarding at the 2020 Olympics, said: “The Aljada Skate Park is an amazing facility, and I can’t wait to see so many skaters come from all over the world to this incredible park for what will be an awesome two weeks of boarding. It’s amazing the amount of people coming and I’d encourage all the fans to turn out in force because it’ll be a truly awesome world championships.”
Sky Brown, who won a bronze medal at the 2020 Olympics in the women’s park skateboarding, making her Great Britain’s youngest ever medallist at 13, said: “This is going to be epic, and I can’t wait to see everyone in Sharjah. I had a great time training at the Aljada Skate Park and know the World Championships will be the best event by far that any fan is going to be at this year.”
Among the 468 skateboarders jetting in from across the globe to the UAE are competitors from the African countries of Zambia and Mozambique, the first time these nations have been represented at this level. Some 277 skateboarders are registered for the Street 2022 World Championships, and 191 for the Park 2022 World Championships. All 12 Olympic medallists from the Tokyo Games in 2020 are in the star-studded line up.
Quarterfinals for the Street event will take place on Friday, February 3, semifinals on Saturday, February 4, and the final on Sunday, February 5. Quarterfinals for the Park event will take place on Friday, February 10, semifinals on Saturday, February 11, and the final on Sunday, February 12. Qualifiers for each event will take place during the week.
Tickets, which include the opportunity to enjoy world-class skateboarding, local DJs, pop-up outlets, a range of food options, and a colorful festival atmosphere, are free of charge to members of the public but need to be pre-booked here: https://arada.com/en/world-championships/
The skateboarding championships are being co-organized by World Skate and UAE-based master developer Arada and highlight Sharjah’s position as a new regional hub for this rapidly expanding sport.
HRH Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal, Vice Chairman of Arada, said: “The number of attendees at the Street 2022 and Park 2022 World Championships at Aljada Skate Park in Sharjah emphasizes not only the event’s prestige but the number of skaters relishing performing in this part of the world. A first for the UAE and the wider Middle East, what we’re hosting over the next fortnight will go a long way to propelling the popularity of this ever-growing sport across the region. We wish all the competitors the best of luck and look forward to seeing their incredible talents in action at Aljada Skate Park.”
Sabatino Aracu, President of World Skate, said: “The wait is over and it’s now showtime in Sharjah. I look forward to seeing everyone from hardcore boarders to casual skaters to families enjoying a day out, as well as people new to our world who just want to enjoy an incredible, live sporting spectacle. See you all at Aljada Skate Park.”
Aljada Skate Park, spread over six separate parks that include Olympic-level Street and Park sections complete with two 3.3m deep ends, is located in the Aljada urban district, Sharjah’s largest ever project, which is being developed by Arada. The skate park has quickly become a major attraction for hundreds of skateboarding enthusiasts from across the UAE, who participate in weekly skating competitions. It is a central feature in Madar, the Aljada community’s entertainment district, which has been designed by Zaha Hadid Architects.
The Street 2022 and Park 2022 World Championships at Aljada Skate Park are sponsored by Red Bull, TikTok, Sharjah Tourism, Saudi German Hospitals, UAE Innovates, and Aman Insurance and Reinsurance.
If you can’t make it to the sun-kissed skate sessions in Sharjah, you can still follow all the action on Olympics.com and Worldskate.tv during and after each event.
